


Time, I Guess

by Time_Thief



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 17:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30109404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Time_Thief/pseuds/Time_Thief
Summary: One-shot in which an OC-Kisara-reincarnation-sort-of has 90 days until death. Ishizu strikes a deal with Kaiba so the dying woman's last days can be comfortable at his mansion.It's all well and good until the empathy creeps in.(BLATANT blueshipping honestly,)
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Kisara, Kaiba Seto/Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	Time, I Guess

**Day 1**

Seto Kaiba marched through the museum. His steps echoed throughout the barren monument to time's passing. He hadn't graced the musky tomb with his presence since before the Battle City Tournament.

Back then, he'd sported his trademark trenchcoat. Today, he'd had to leave immediately from a conference, so he kept on his white pinstripe suit. He strode past ancient tomes and pottery towards the main event: the tablet.

According to Yugi and his nerd herd, the stone slab was encased in ice weeks earlier. Kaiba folded his arms over his chest and smiled with half of his mouth. The caretakers here must not have taken care at all if they kept the A/C _that_ low.

Steps clicked toward him on the museum's blue tile flooring. Ishizu Ishtar approached, no longer wearing her foreign garbs in favor of more casual clothing; the form-fitting black tank top and denim skirt struck him as odd.

The impression she gave was of constant formality. She never even cracked under Kaiba's constant undermining and insults. Witnessing a version of her without her sparkling golden jewelry and air of mystery surprised him.

He did not like surprises. He said, "Show me the rare card you'll be giving me this time or I'm leaving."

Her smile was as he remembered: knowing. Mocking. He scowled. Ishizu said, "I have something far better in store for you, Seto Kaiba. It's nice to see you again – and to learn your interactions with DOMA and the Legendary Knights haven't changed you."

"Last week's news is just that." Dartz's impact on the world was like that of an ant crawling across Kaiba's shoe. He owned KaibaCorp for an unimpressive amount of time and changed little. Now? His name wouldn't even be a footnote in the history books, and ownership of KaibaCorp was back where it belonged: in the name of Seto Kaiba.

"As it so happens," she began, "I do have something for you. Do you recall any of your ancient visions?"

"Weird dreams – nothing more, nothing less."

Her infuriating smile returned. "In dreams, it is impossible for places or faces you have never seen to appear. Everything existing in dreams also has a home in your memories, inherited or otherwise."

"I'm not here for a psychology lecture."

"Does this not interest you, Kaiba? Those visions could only contain-"

"What I've seen before," he interrupted, "and I've seen plenty of movies. Get to the point."

From a pouch at her belt, she retrieved a glittery spell card and flashed its face to Kaiba. His eyes widened. The artwork displayed a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, wings spread wide and roar aimed to shatter the heavens. Kaiba said, "Majesty with Eyes of Blue? I've never heard of this!"

Damned Pegasus was holding out on him after all; Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon wasn't the only remaining Blue-Eyes card. Humph. That added up. That old weasel could find a loophole in a ramen noodle. Kaiba reached for the card, but Ishizu snatched it back. "There are more like this, but I'm afraid they are not mine to give away."

" _Who_?" he roared.

"As you know, Atlantis rose again during Dartz' attempted conquest. This had an… intriguing side effect. A certain slumbering individual was awoken when they were not meant to, and there is troubling news attached to this person."

"Oh, you mean I have to take down another monologuing megalomaniac this week?"

Ishizu chuckled. "No, there's only one monologuing megalomaniac here. The news is troubling for very different reasons. If you want your special cards for your dragon, Kaiba, you'll need to-"

He waited for her to go on. She angled her head towards the auditorium. He followed her line of sight to where sprinting footsteps approached. A girl ran in front of the pair, set her hands on her knees, and panted. A baby-blue cap with a green sprout adorning the top crowned her head, and silver hair fell over her shoulders.

The girl peered up at Ishizu and sniffled. A tear fell onto the floor. "I got lost."

To his utter shock, Ishizu pulled the girl into a hug. "That's okay. You're fine. Let me introduce you to Mr. Kaiba. He'll be taking care of you."

" _What_? You brought me here to babysit a ten-year-old?"

The girl's finger lifted, dropped, and raised again. She murmured, "I'm, um, nineteen."

"Kaiba," Ishizu purred. Her voice had never been so soft when directed at him. "This is Rain. She owns the cards you're interested in."

He laughed in her face. "I'm supposed to believe a nine-year-old owns cards Pegasus himself didn't know about?"

Assuming the crotchety old bat _didn't_ lie back then. Ishizu tapped the child's shoulder and smiled – sweetly, for once – and asked, "Rain. Why don't you show Kaiba your favorite deck?"

She withdrew the stack of cards from her disk, which matched what those Orichalcos freaks wore. Fanning them out left Kaiba taken aback. She had in her hands a treasure horde practically made for him: Blue-Eyes Alternative Dragon, Deep-Eyes White Dragon, Sage with Eyes of Blue, Maiden, Master, Mausoleum of White-

She folded her cards away. The girl constantly had her head lowered so her cap shadowed her face. Kaiba stepped towards her to make sure she noted the good foot and a half of height he had on her. "A million for the deck."

"Um," she said, "a million what?"

"Fine," he spat, "two!"

Ishizu covered Rain's hand with her own. "I'm afraid that route won't work. Money means nothing to her. I'm sure she would feel wholeheartedly indebted to you, however, if you let her spend three months living comfortably."

He scoffed. "You can do a lot more with what I'm offering."

"Kaiba, please," she begged. "None of us have the resources to care for her like you do. She can't be left on her own because the last time she lived was five thousand years ago. It's a miracle she can even speak our language."

"Figure it out, kid," he said. "I had to."

He marched towards the exit. He'd find a way to get those cards one way or another just like he did with Yugi's pathetic grandfather. The clicking of heels chased after him. A hand clenched his wrist. He wrenched his arm away, shouting, "Don't lay a hand on me you-"

He scowled. It was Ishizu, and the pleading look in her eyes gave him pause. She was meant to be prideful; to think he had respect for her once. Now, she was just another beggar on the street. She said, "You don't understand. There's a stark difference between you two."

"It does make a difference when you're born with more than one brain cell."

"Kaiba!" she scolded. "Something went wrong. We guessed she wasn't supposed to awake at the time she did. Some tests couldn't reveal the exact source of what's wrong with her, but the medical professionals all agreed: in approximately ninety days, her organs will fail, and she will die."

"…What?"

She pulled the paperwork out of her over-the-shoulder bag. He scanned the results. Ninety days?

Ishizu said, "I know you have a modicum of empathy buried in your heart, Kaiba. If there were any time to dig it up, please, please let it be now."

Humph. She didn't seriously expect to treat him like some charitable babysitter all of a sudden to a seven-year-old…

He stared at Rain, who observed the tablet with her back to him. The AC cut on. Her long, silver hair swayed.

Air escaped his lungs. He saw someone else, her hair similar in color but thinner and her clothes little more than rags. Intense heat distorted her silhouette and the desert sands around her feet. Her foot swept backwards, and their eyes met.

Pale, calloused hands caressed his cheeks. Kind blue eyes he swore he'd seen before studied his own. "Seto."

The mystery woman's voice delivered tenderness he didn't believe his name could carry. He tried to speak, but he couldn't control his body. Certainty blazed through him like his duel with Ishizu, when he sacrificed Obelisk for his true partner: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Back then, hadn't he seen the same face..?

"I'll do it." His voice boomed throughout the museum. "I'll take her in."

* * *

Introducing Rain to the mansion was like assisting a newly-adopted kitten. Her eyes were wide and curious, a far cry from the woman in his visions, Kaiba noted. She oft lost herself in the manse's vast halls. Her hesitant calls of his name reached him after she'd been stuck for hours.

If time went by without her causing a ruckus, he grew suspicious. He found her locked in a bathroom – the reverse of a miracle. To the question of how the hell she managed that, she burst into tears and panicked apologies.

Much worse than a cat, then.

Ninety days, he told himself. Ninety days until he received those unbelievable cards. Why had he chosen to put up with her? The sensation was difficult to explain; all he could say was that it matched the feeling of when he tributed Obelisk.

He'd won then, too, so he knew his instincts paid dividends.

A familiar sound tickled his ear. He checked his watch. 4:00PM. His lips curled into a smile. He left the room where Rain had trapped herself in a bathroom, saying, "You're no longer my problem."

Sniffling, she said, "D-do you want me to leave? I understand if-"

"Mokuba!" he shouted.

Footsteps sprinted up the stairs and to their hall. Seeing the girl behind Kaiba, Mokuba dropped his school bag. Locks of his bushy, raven hair pointed in all directions. He said, "Seto! This is incredible! You made a friend!"

"Shut up," he said. "Make sure she doesn't starve or whatever."

He resigned to his office. Mokuba and Rain stared at each other. Mokuba said, "Did he make you cry? I'm sorry. He does that a lot."

"N-no." She wiped the heels of her hands beneath her eyes. "He's been okay. He finds me when I'm lost."

Mokuba laughed. "That happened to me when we first moved in, too! C'mon! I'll show you around – starting with the kitchen, 'cause I'm starving. Hey, how do you know Seto?"

"I don't really. I met him today."

"And he _brought you home_?"

"Ms. Ishizu asked him to."

"Ishizu." Mokuba went starry-eyed. "Can't believe he got to see her and I didn't! She's so h- er, anyway, how do you know her? Why'd she ask Seto to bring you here?"

"Because I'll be dead in ninety days and Kaiba wants my deck."

Mokuba skidded to a stop. His splayed fingers shook. "Y-you'll what?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her hand had a light grasp on her elbow, and her eyes were downcast. Her lashes threw a comb of shadows onto her hollow cheeks. "I shouldn't say it so bluntly, huh. I've got a rare sickness according to the doctors, so there's a definite time limit."

"There's no way you're okay with him using you like that!"

"Should I?" she mumbled. "I dunno. I know why he's doing it. But… it's not like I'll need my cards anymore. They'll go on to make somebody else happy. Isn't that the best legacy I could wish for?"

Mokuba grumbled, "Happy isn't the best word to use. Ah, whatever! Forget about him for now. You only have so much time! We gotta do everything you ever wanted! Where's your bucket list?"

"Eh? Oh, I guess the best buckets are made of metal with wood taking a close second-"

"No! What? You're weird! A bucket list! The stuff you _have_ to do before you die."

Rain blinked. Nodded to herself. Said, "A nap would be nice."

Mokuba loosed an exacerbated groan. "We'll build one! Over dinner. Dinner first!"

* * *

Hunger pangs served as coercion strong enough to drag Seto Kaiba out of his home office. He shrugged off his coat on the way to the kitchen. The sight he beheld there took him aback.

Cartons from the refrigerator covered every inch of counter space. Mokuba mixed Gatorade with apple cider behind Rain's back; she perched on a stool. She held a glass of milk, but the white appeared slightly stained brown.

"The hell is happening in here?" Kaiba demanded.

"Rain wants to try exotic things before- er, the ninety days are up!" he answered. "I'm making her the best I can think of, starting with pilk."

"Pilk?"

Mokuba grinned. "Pepsi and milk!"

Kaiba grimaced. His stomach did a flip. Rain raised the glass to her lips. It was like watching a train wreck; he couldn't look away. She swished it in her mouth for a couple of seconds. Rain nodded, hopped down, and sprinted to the sink. She spat it out and poured the rest down the drain.

"I hate milk," she murmured.

"Then _why_ did you-" Kaiba breathed in, out. No. He refused to tangle himself in their nonsense. "What do you think exotic means, Mokuba?"

"Wacky!" he said as he pushed the next concoction into Rain's hands.

"It means…" Kaiba waved his hand. "French wine, hundred-year-old scotch, and aged rye – not whatever mess you're making."

Mokuba whispered to her: "Are you old enough to drink?"

She shrugged. Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really think a vanity law like that applies to a dead woman walking?"

Mokuba pouted. "Okay then! _You_ go get the fancy shmancy drinks."

"As if," he scoffed. "I don't have time to-"

Mokuba ran up to him and clapped his hands in a prayer stance. "Setooo, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"

"Fine!" he snapped. "I'll put in an order. Give it a couple of weeks."

* * *

**Day 15**

Rain made it through the scotch bottle and half the rye before reaching full drunk territory. Impressive, Kaiba thought, though he'd never speak that word to another human being. She was laying on the mansion lawn, giggling and pointing at the clouds, muttering something about how they resembled genitalia.

"Wow, Seto, you totally followed through!" Mokuba swished the untouched bottle of wine and licked his lips. "D'you think I could-"

"Absolutely not."

It was the answer he expected, but he frowned anyway. He watched the girl laughing to herself in the grass. "She's happy! Finally. She looks like a zombie most days. Have you noticed?"

"I work with plenty of zombies. It's no surprise considering her impending death."

"You don't have to bring it up all the time," Mokuba murmured. "We have to keep going down the list, Seto! Visiting an amusement park is on there. I happen to know an amusement park opening up early next year!"

Kaiba ground his teeth. "That's low, Mokuba."

"What, making her wish come true? She's never been to one!"

"Manipulating a dying woman's bucket list to include early visits to KaibaLand, which has yet to pass its safety tests!"

A part of Kaiba _did_ wonder if she'd be the perfect candidate to perform those safety tests. He pressed his hand to his forehead. Enough with that. He was pragmatic, not evil – not his father.

That idea spurred him to say, "Fine. You can go once the tests are passed. Should be a couple of months."

Mokuba leapt for joy. "In the meantime, we'll knock out other stuff on the list! Er, what does this one mean? 'Learn my last new song.'"

The corners of Kaiba's mouth curled down. Depressing. Dealing with all of this was far too depressing and interrupted his solid workflow. He stuffed his hands into his trenchcoat as a fall wind passed, kicking up dead, fallen leaves. He'd changed back to the somber purple he last wore to Duelist Kingdom.

Sporting the older duds was because he'd been thinking back to Mokuba's cold body in Pegasus's prison cell.

Pegasus, Yugi, and his nerd herd could spout nonsense about souls and Shadow Realms all they wanted. Kaiba understood death's grim reality more than they ever could. He was the one to find his father's body post-suicide. He attended the wake to find most of the attendees there to celebrate their competitor's fall rather than to honor the deceased.

Kaiba tried to imagine putting a hard number on the days he had left and focusing on anything else. His mind being a steel cage worked against him, too; he'd spend those days making sure the people he left behind got what they deserved.

Meaning: he'd spend whatever time he had left investing his assets in Mokuba's future.

From that perspective, he supposed he understood why the list in Mokuba's hands had only five items. How could she put effort into enjoying herself knowing the inevitable? A silent, untended funeral, a lonely casket…

"Mokuba," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever is needed to complete these requests – instruments, plane tickets, et cetera – route the requests directly to me."

* * *

**Day 32**

A group of burly workers hefted a grand piano onto a makeshift lift. The goal was to have the massive instrument reach the large meeting hall on the second floor of the Kaiba manse.

Mokuba shadowed his eyes and whistled. "Just like in the cartoons!"

Rain pressed the tips of her fingers together. "Yeah?"

"Yeah! Y'know, like when they fall on somebody, their head pops out, and their teeth have been replaced by the piano keys!"

"Sounds awfully morbid," she said.

"It-" Mokuba blinked. "I guess it kinda is if you think about it. 'Course I haven't liked cartoons ever since Pegasus and his creepy monsters."

Yet again his rambling had lost Rain. That was normal. She expected to be confused a majority of the time interacting with others considering their culture and time periods were vastly different. She wished her brother were here so they could joke about how nice it was for chickens to not be roaming the streets or how she missed the view and lull of the ocean or, really, she longed to talk to anyone who could understand at all.

Fifty-eight days.

She'd spent over a month in the Kaiba house. Most days, she woke up and wasted time until Mokuba came home. Even if she was bored out of her mind, she never, ever dared to approach Seto Kaiba. She didn't want to bother him.

She thought about writing a thank-you note, but she couldn't write in English; that'd been her project whenever Mokuba was away. Practice involved mimicking the letters from books in the many shelves strewn throughout the mansion. They never turned out legible. More work, she thought. Fifty-eight days would be enough time.

There was also the matter of her last song. The lift was successful, and the workers hauled the gorgeous instrument through the mansion. The planned room for the pianoforte contained larger-than-life, arched windows. The soft midday sun spilled in pools on the polished wood floor.

Mokuba and Rain sent the workers off with merry and much thanks. Mokuba begged her to show what she could do with it. She hesitated to touch the ivories. The black body reflected a perfect image of her emotionless face. She felt that playing such a beauty was a disgrace.

"Pleeease?" Mokuba begged, and Rain understood why Seto always melted for those puppy eyes. The bench screeched on its way back, and she prayed it hadn't scuffed the floors. She sat and scooted forward. Rain drank in a deep breath. She played her favorite song from memory; the lullaby from her mother was an enchanting version of a sea shanty.

The notes she pressed bounced through the hall in correct rhythm. She heard different sounds: leaning over a ship's starboard bow, the wood swaying and creaking beneath her, the spray of the sea on her cheek.

A lone set of applause echoed off the tall ceiling. She prepared to thank Mokuba with a gracious bow. In the midst of rising, she froze. Her heartbeat accelerated. Seto Kaiba glared down at her.

"That was amazing!" Mokuba hollered from beside him. "You have to teach me. Would you? Oh, and here are a buncha books for you to choose a last song from!"

Last song. He said it very casually. She supposed she didn't see why he shouldn't. Rain flipped through the sheets of music. Kaiba said, "Choose quickly."

"Eh?"

"I've rented out NYC's Carnegie Hall in exactly forty days."

"For real?" Mokuba said. "That's awesome! Rain, it's this huuuge famous place in America-"

"What's America?" Mokuba sighed. She said, "I don't know. I'd rather not play in front of a lot of people…"

"Then it will be us and no others," Kaiba stated as he folded his arms over his chest. "Mokuba! If you want to play, wash your grubby hands first. I won't have you ruining the piano! It's a Steinway & Sons!"

Mokuba saluted and sprinted out with a, "Yes, sir!"

Rain, meanwhile, stared at her hands, which she had not washed.

"I have to ask you something," he said. Rain sat stick-straight and tucked her hands in her lap, hoping he wouldn't notice her probably-grimy fingers. Every step he took closer had her craning her neck more and more to meet his piercing eyes. His palm landed on the keys as he leaned over her. A cacophony of shrill high notes pierced her eardrums. She resisted the urge to cover her ears. In a harsh whisper, he asked, "Did we meet before all this?"

Her bushy white brows furrowed. She was born thousands of years before him. She recalled that first day, though, when his eyes had glazed and shivered in their sockets as though seeing another world entirely.

"No," she said, "I don't believe so."

He grunted. Was he disappointed? He cast his hand towards the stacks of sheet music. "Pick a long one – a suite, preferably. It better be worthwhile."

"I- I'll try."

"You need to promise better than that," he spat.

Holding her fists in front of her chest and shutting her eyes, she yelled, "I won't miss a note!"

"That's better."

And he left her alone with the echoes of his presence. She loosed a breath, and her shoulders sagged. There was a suite that had interested her in the books. It was long and difficult to master. Forty days meant learning such an extensive and lengthy piece was nigh impossible.

She set to practicing.

* * *

**Day 72**

Rain smoothed down her black velvet dress. Sequins sewed into the neckline glimmered like diamonds beneath hundreds of spotlights. True to Kaiba's word, only two seats of the magnificent Hall were filled. The rows of empty red seats and gilded detail offered the sense of playing for royalty. She supposed, in a way, she _was_. After all, to put in resources required to rent out this entire place…

The thought set her heart to thumping again. She bunched up the skirt of her dress in her shaking fists. Her fingers rested upon the keys. The make and model of the grand piano matched the Kaiba's. She opened her eyes half-lidded. Her ears were open to silence and the rhythm of her heartache.

The last new song.

Her fingers danced along the keys to sonate the Nutcracker Suite. The entire set, from the bombastic overture to the dainty sugar plumbs to the robust Russians, took around twenty minutes straight of playing.

Sweat dripped from her chin. The iconic acoustics of the hall amplified each and every painstaking note. By the closing overture, her nerves had her clenched muscles shivering. She held down the final key to let it fade into emptiness, into nothing, into whatever void awaited it.

Gradually, she lifted her hands from the instrument. She let herself breathe in, out. She raised her face towards the ceiling, which was black beyond belief past the blinding spotlights.

Sprinting feet caught her attention. Mokuba tackled her in a hug. She grinned and embraced him. "Crazyamazingunbelievable!"

"Not quite." Seto stood to where a backstage curtain shadowed him. His form-fitting tux let him blend with the darkness. He entered the light, and his approaching steps increased her heart rate. He said, "One."

"Eh?"

Seto wiped off the bench and threw his coattails behind him prior to sitting. He played the closing overture she just had. A note towards the end he performed as a sharp rather than the flat Rain played.

"I got it wrong," she breathed. "I messed up, and, and you can play?"

He stood and pushed the bench beneath the pianoforte. Adjusting his sleeve, he said, "A ninety-nine percent accuracy with limited practice time is admirable in its own rights."

"Hear that?" Mokuba smacked her arm in celebration. "He admires you!"

Kaiba scowled. "I'm leaving you two here."

"No, wait!" Mokuba shouted. "He has our passports!"

Rain was too caught up in the silly smile on her face.

* * *

**Day 81**

Nine days. There were nine days left of Rain breathing, playing, and smiling. Kaiba understood the amount to be ten percent of her total, but it hadn't felt as though nine other nine-day-packages had passed. He'd written the numbers one to eighty-one on his desk calendar as the days had passed yet the reality refused to keep him in its iron grip.

To stand among brightly-colored food stands and thrill rides struck him as oh so wrong.

"KaibaLaaaand!" Mokuba shouted. Kaiba trailed behind the pair as Mokuba detailed each attraction (and Blue-Eyes statue) to Rain. Due to time constraints, only half the park was open to them. Passing the safety tests hadn't been a simple feat.

"That's a big statue," Rain told him. Kaiba raised his focus to view the monument to his own glory. The sterling silver statue displayed Seto in his Battle City look. His fist clenched. The _third-placer_ …

She pressed her fingertips together, grinned, and said, "It's very flattering! I quite like how it's made to seem as though the wind is blowing towards you."

"Yes," he said, "it's brilliant. That was my idea."

"Rain!" Mokuba said. "What're we riding first?"

Her finger rested upon her bottom lip. "Uhhhhhh. How 'bout that one?"

She gestured towards the "Spinning Pot of Greeds – Find Out What They Do!" attraction. Mokuba wouldn't shut up unless Seto joined them, so he relented. The trio piled into a hand-painted Pot of Greed replica. The wheel in the center would allow them to tornado the thing out of control to their hearts' content.

"We gotta do it as fast as we can!" Mokuba gripped the wheel. "Seto, you help! You're the strongest!"

"Whatever."

They spun and spun and spun until all the colors in the world blended together and his biceps ached. His breathing labored. His vision went hazy. It happened again like that recurring dream bothering him over the past months. He saw _her_. _She_ lived rent-free in his mind and dammit if he didn't find himself scanning crowds on his way to and from work for this stranger he felt connected to like family, like more than family.

This "dream" was different. Rather than running to him, she was disappearing in the distance. He held his hand towards her but it was all wrong. His _skin_ … His mouth open, his lips cracked. He called, " _Kisa-_ "

"Kaiba!"

The spinning of the world had halted. The pair of hands squeezing his upper arm and the third, smaller one touching his elbow grounded him. He gazed into blue eyes. No, not right; there wasn't that straggler lock of long hair falling over her nose, and her face was too round.

"Are you alright?" Rain asked. "You were screaming."

"I- what?"

"You okay, bro? Think it's the heat?" Mokuba asked from his side. The way he held Seto's elbow as though aiding him infuriated Seto. He wasn't some old man needing help across the street. He shook them off.

"I'm _fine_."

Sleep deprivation tended to have adverse effects, Seto's doctor had told him, and vibrant night-or-day visions could accompany that. But… he couldn't deny the draw he felt within to sunny deserts and kind blue eyes.

He shook his head. One issue at a time. He could fulfill inane desires after Rain's ninety days were up. Ten more percent- no, more like nine and a half by now.

Rain chose the roller coaster with the dragonhead cars next. Wholehearted concern tilted her eyes whenever she looked at him. He hated it. He wanted to spew why she should be self-centered for the final nine days of her life. As if that'd accomplish anything. More like she'd cry herself into dehydration.

He scowled as he boarded the frontmost car with her.

"Is something on your mind?" she asked. "You seem grumpier than normal. Surprisingly."

"Surprisingly," he grumbled. He looked to the clear, blue sky that held no answers. He huffed. Maybe if he said something, anything, they'd stop looking at him all damn sorry-like. "Do you ever have the feeling you're looking for something, or someone, but you don't know what? It's an important- extremely important and the highest priority, but that information is out of reach."

The garbage would hopefully stave off her stupid pity. She stared at him unblinking. The cart chugged forward.

"Time, I guess."

The cart climbed.

Rain's hands fell into her lap and she watched their twitching fingers instead of him. "Sorry. That's not a real answer to what you said. A way to turn back- no, that's silly. I guess I don't have anything like that. It's pointless to say now, but. I do know what I want. I do."

The _tick_ s of the cart climbing to the heights of the track slowed. The snout of the dragon tipped over the top. Miles and miles of earth spread out to the horizon.

"Rain."

"Eh?"

"Arms up," he said.

"What?"

"For this part-" He grasped her wrist and lifted her arm with his. She watched him splay his hands above his head, and she mimicked until their pinkies touched. " _Keep them up._ "

The air whistling by, throwing her hair, and slipping past her fingers enticed her delighted squeal all the way down.

Humph. He couldn't believe he had to babysit the one person on the planet who had to be taught how to have fun.

What a bother.

"Seto!" she shouted.

She hadn't said his first name before. He didn't give permission. He… didn't feel the need to correct her, either.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," she wished. "I don't have much, but I'd like to spend time to look together!"

His cheek twitched.

What a…

…

* * *

**Day 90**

Wailing reverberated through the mansion halls. Mokuba sat outside her door and wiped away tears with his shirtsleeve. More took their place. His sobs and screams reminded Seto of babies on planes.

"You'll make her feel worse with that," he hissed.

Mokuba cried harder. "I'm sorry!"

He grunted. He supposed he shouldn't have expected that to help. She'd been bedridden ever since the KaibaLand visit. The past week had seen her rapid deterioration. She hadn't eaten in three days. The on-location medical specialist said she had hours left at most.

Seto hadn't seen Mokuba sleep in days, either. He was inconsolable. No matter how many times both brothers repeated the facts, Mokuba showed no improvements. Mokuba knew the day was inevitable. Seto knew the day was inevitable. Seto didn't know about Mokuba's prayers for a miracle, and Mokuba didn't know Seto couldn't write the number "zero" on his calendar today.

"We didn't get to f-finish," Mokuba managed through snot and tears.

"What?"

Paper crinkled. "The l-list."

Seto lifted his head from its resting place on his knee. Mokuba held out a wrinkly sheet in his quaking hand. Seto snatched it away. Ah, yes. The depressing five-item list. The other four were complete, but that last thing…

The paper crumpled in his fist. " _Why_ didn't you tell me about this?"

"Sh-she said she wanted it to be last! But, but after KaibaLand-"

Seto Kaiba shot to his feet, threw open the door to her room, and marched to her bedside. The skin of her face had sunken to show every sharp angle of her skull, and he could count every one of her veins if he so wished. Thick locks of hair had escaped her head and littered the pillow and sheets. Only thin stragglers remain attached. Her irises were cloudy like the blind's.

She reached up a bony arm to wave. She smiled, too.

He scowled. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you wanted to visit the sea?"

"Oh," she said, "it's not so important. I get tired a lot now and don't want to worry you and-"

"Is it what you want?" he asked.

Her eyes closed. Even her lashes were scarcer, he noticed. He averted his eyes.

"It'd be nice, I guess." Her voice was hoarse. "To hear it again and smell the salt in the air-"

He removed her heart monitor patches and carried her in his arms.

* * *

The wash of the sea was like a lullaby. The moonlight on the sands transformed them into dunes of stardust. They sat to where the tide tickled their feet. She couldn't sit up on her own, so he supported her with a firm arm.

"It reminds me of home," she said.

"Maybe you'll get to go back."

"What a nice thought." There it was again – that pitiful smile of hers. "I'm sorry, Seto."

"What do you mean _sorry_? Why would you say _sorry_ right now?"

"No, no." Her voice was little more than a whisper. "I'm sorry I said… I'd help you look. I didn't get to. I wanted to."

"That's not important." He tacked on, "You couldn't."

"That's not even me giving ninety-nine percent, though."

He choked.

Rain said, "This is nice. I got to do all the things on the list… you get your cards, too."

"You seriously think I care about that stupid deck right now?"

A weighty breath escaped her. She squeaked, "Do you not?"

"Hell no! You're- you-"

He stared in the opposite direction. She breathed in. She put all the effort she could into the next smile. "That is… that's a wonderful… thought."

She collapsed against him. He tried to help her sit straight. She was fully limp. "Rain! Don't tell me you left me already!"

"Seto…"

His name, so softly. Her eyes were shut. Sand sparkled in the lashes.

"Yes?" he asked, matching the volume and tenderness.

"I wanted to say…"

A harsher wave crashed over the pair. The gentle rises of her chest stopped. He knew. He knew, but he shook her shoulder and repeated her name and did all the things he said he wouldn't.

When he held her, limp in his arms, it happened again.

_She_ was laying in his arms. He was nuzzling in her neck, and his tears left trails on her colder-and-colder skin. A wicked voice promised this was for the best, this was inevitable, this was his destiny.

He sobbed all the same.

" _Kisara_ ," he whimpered.

* * *

The time after the funeral was quiet.

Horrible, miserable quiet.

Unlike his father, plenty had come. Yugi and his nerd herd visited. Ishizu and her freak family even stopped by. She, especially, seemed surprised by Kaiba's presence.

"Did you get what you wanted?" she asked.

He left then and there.

But he found it on his home desk. It was like a smoking gun to him. He wanted to throw it in a fire or in a lake or rip every card to shreds himself. He lifted the deck box. A piece of paper tucked in the clip caught his eye. He unfasted the box and picked up the note.

Written in poor handwriting was the message:

_thank_

_you_

_seto_

_!_


End file.
